Zad wrote:
I've noticed you do this a fair bit, claim not to be a particular fan of a band, then give them an average score. I say again, so why are you the one reviewing it? Surely it would make much more sense for someone who is a fan to review it? This album has been hailed as the best thing Sepultura have done since Chaos AD, and you scored it lower than Nation?! I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you here. And Derrick Green's vocals are infinitely superior to Max Cavalera's, even if he is the poorer guitarist.
Hey, Zad, see that others beat me to it, but I will pipe in anyway. Are you implying that I can't review an album/band if I am not a fan?? Or are you saying we only should review the stuff we are fans of?? Both arguments don't hold any water, IMHO. My statement atop the review is not a harsh criticism of the band, nor it is a statement of any kind. It is more of a disclaimer, giving those folks who are much more into Sepultura a perspective, that this is coming from a non-fan. If they trust my objectivity (which I am not sure you do), they can then project my review and see if they would really like an album and get on with getting it right away. Soemthing like "if even Alex liked it, then my mind would certainly be blown off". The reverse is true too "yeah, that Alex knows little about Sepultura, but judging from what he said I might try it". The non-fans could benefit too, as they get another non-fan point of view.
I find it actually very interesting, for myself, to take an album, a band, a genre that I have not been particularly interested in and give it a try. Totimoshi wasn't my thing at all, but I am glad I gave it a shot. If we only reviewed what we know and like it would have been boring, for both the reviewers who would have been at a loss for words describing the same thing over again, and for readers, who would not have any element of surpise at all reading this or that review by a given reviewer.